1837.] Arsaces, and Sapor the king of Persia. 83 



king of Armenia disbelieved his oath by refusing to accede to his 

 wishes, then that refusal would be considered as a signal for the 

 commencement of hostilities. 



" By the intreaties of the Armenian people, Arsaces was induced 

 to acquiesce, and nolens volens resolved to pay a visit to Sapor. Ac- 

 companied by his faithful general Vasak, he proceeded to Persia, and 

 was conducted into the royal palace. Sapor no sooner saw them, 

 than he ordered them to be placed under guards and treated as pri- 

 soners. He spoke to the Armenian king with contempt, and looked 

 upon him as a slave. Arsaces expressed his regret for the past, 

 and stood as a guilty man before him, who directed him to be kept 

 under the strictest surveillance. 



"Then Sapor sent for astrologers and magicians, and communi- 

 cated with them about his royal prisoner. ' 1 have,' said he, ' on 

 several occasions manifested affection towards Arsaces, king of 

 Armenia, but he has returned my kindness with ingratitude and con- 

 tempt. I have entered into a treaty of peace with him, which he 

 swore to keep inviolate by that sacred volume of the Christian reli- 

 gion, which they call the Gospel. He violated that oath. I had 

 contemplated to be uniformly kind and friendly to him, but he abused 

 the confidence of my friendship. I ordered the Armenian priests of 

 Ctesiphon to be summoned to my presence, from a supposition that 

 they had deceitfully administered an oath to Arsaces, and afterwards 

 instigated him to a violation of that oath. I considered them guilty 

 of a heinous crime, but was assured by the high priest called 

 Mari, of their having performed the task of adjuration in a just and 

 becoming manner. It was also mentioned, that if the Armenian 

 king acted contrary to that solemn obligation, the Gospel, by which 

 he had sworn, would drag him to my feet. I could not, however, 

 persuade myself to believe what Mari and his colleagues asserted. 

 I ordered seventy of them to be slaughtered in one pit, and put their 

 followers to the sword. The Gospel, by which Arsaces had sworn, 

 and which is the fundamental rule of the Christian religion, I desired 

 to be tied with chains and kept in my treasury. But, now I call to 

 recollection the assertion of Mari, who intreated me to spare their 

 lives, and assured me that the very Gospel would bring the perjurer 

 to my feet. The prediction of that priest has been fully verified. It 

 is now upwards of thirty years that Arsaces unceasingly waged war 

 with the Persians, and on all occasions proved victorious. Now, he has 

 surrendered himself to us of his own accord ! Could I assure myself 

 of his friendship and allegiance in future, I should allow him to depart 

 in peace to Armenia, loaded with honors and valuable presents.' 

 m 2 



